While he’s had a Top 10 single with “Stealing Cinderella,” Chuck Wicks is probably more known for being Julianne Hough’s boyfriend than as a fellow country singer. “Man Of The House” may just be the song to help bring Chuck to the national forefront as a vocalist, something he’s quite capable of doing. Written by Chuck with Michael Mobley, Man Of The House” features an ear-pleasing, 80’s pop/country melody that backs up a lyric that is instantly relatable. It’s a song that finds Chuck telling a story about a 10-year-old boy who has worries that go far beyond what the typical boy his age would worry about. You see, he’s helping his mother cope with the absence of his father, who is off to war.

While this song could’ve easily have been masked in too much sentimentality a la Lonestar’s “I’m Already There,” thankfully this track it isn’t. The lyric never gets there because of Wicks’ strong, Mary Roe-like vocal. This is the exact kind of ballad that Diamond Rio excelled at and it’s also the kind of song that Wicks really does well. While his up-tempo tracks are fun, the ballads are and will always be his bread and butter. While the single could’ve benefited from a few more traditional fiddle and mandolin fills, there’s no way this well-written, subtly-produced ballad isn’t a winner at country radio and something that helps sell Wicks’ year-old debut “Starting Now.”